With great sadness, I have the following email from the organisers to share with you:

Quote

Regretfully, we are sorry to inform you that the The Lancia Montecarlo Consortium Ltd application for space at this year’s Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC has been unsuccessful.

This year we are aiming to improve the feature content at the event for visitors, which along with a large number of clubs celebrating significant anniversaries, puts pressure on the oversubscribed space available for club stands.

We aim to showcase as wide a variety of clubs at the event as possible but as we have been inundated with applications and it is impossible to fit in all the great cars and clubs that would like to exhibit. So, despite having space for well over 200 car clubs, we have little option but to decline many applications, yours being one.

We will keep your application on record and if, in future years, you would like to apply again we would be very happy to hear from you and will consider your on-going interest and support in any future stand application.

I'm really not sure how excluding us this year will "Improve the feature content for visitors" but maybe it's because there is still a recession on and they want to cut down on the number of sandwiches and alcohol consumed at the Awards ceremony.

I wrote a begging email, but unfortunately, it didn't improve the situation. We'll just have to try again next year.

At Curborough we discussed the possibility of having a night or 2 away at the Hell Hole (or Hotel of equivalent luxury) to include a day at the NEC Classic Car Show, even though the b@$%*!&s have banned us from displaying this year.

Is anyone interested?

Maybe it's something you could discuss further at the EOTB - I won't be present...again :0(

Right, so here's the deal...We're going to tha show on Friday and so some of us are staying over on Thursday/Friday or just friday, at the Quality Hotel, Coventry, which is only 10 mins from the NEC.Best check direct with the hotel, as I think some sites have sold their allocation of rooms now, although ou may want to check other sources (I havent checked Expedia).You'll have to book your own show ticket and it will be cheaper in advance. For those just staying over on the Friday you may want to get to the hotel really early to share a lift and cut down on th parking.Can't wait, and this year we don't have to listen to punters amusing jokes about rust :0)CheersChris

I can report that the Jacobean Hotel not far from the Hell Hole and the Quality Inn has a very good bar and great quality food. They are even re-furbishing the rooms so a good choice for next year IMHO.